Conceptual Notes
Modified 2023-06-25
Taking notes of lectures, books, etc is not the most important step of understanding the topic. If taking notes is the focus, it usually results in cramming and memorizing which doesn't make you understand the concept.
We remember things that we use often and view from different perspectives, because the connections is what builds the understanding of the concept.
Sequential notes force you to copy information the same way it's presented to you, while that time is better spend learning the concept. Conceptual notes force you think about the information in the context of your own understanding which promotes being active whle consuming the source material.
Catch
Place the information into your working memory and evaluate if it's USE (Unimportant, Self Explanatory or Easy Enough). Focus on knowledge gaps, or things you might forget in the future.
If examples exist, it's important to record what went wrong with your own thought process, because it highlights something was not intuitive.
Train
Re-phrase the information when adding it to your second brain, and link to another concept if there's an overlap. Thinking how new information fits together with old information helps learning in realtime, because you can lean on old concepts for support to learn new concepts.
If practice problems exist, record the ones which trip you up, as they are an indicator of a knowledge gap.
Battle
Fight with your second brain by coming up with interesting ways to link different concepts with each other. Use the Feynman Technique to further test your understanding of a concept.
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Peepnbrick